We wandered down the tracks, snooped around and discovered The Pacific, an opulent rail car in the Pullman style enjoyed by the ultra rich before airplanes took over. It was astonishing to find a rolling palace in superb condition stashed in an industrial area, but it gave us goose bumps to see the royal insignia of King George VI stencilled on the side, with the year 1939 beneath it.

We realized it was used by King George and the Queen Mother for a royal tour to engage the support of Canadians on the eve of World War II and prepare them for the dark times ahead.

It also had a Mother Parkers emblem on it, which helped us track down the owners, Michael and Paul Higgins Jr., who own the coffee and tea empire of the same name.

The Star recently got a private tour of The Pacific, which was built in 1924 by Canadian National Railways and used by wealthy clients and rail executives when trains were the only way to go and luxurious private cars set the standard for stylish travel. John Diefenbaker used it to brainstorm during the 1957 federal election, when he was first elected prime minister.

“This was the private jet of the late 1800s through the 1950s,” said Paul Higgins, who took us on the tour of the car, purchased by his father, Paul Higgins Sr., from CN in 1972, after train travel collapsed and private cars were of little value.

It is 30 metres long, weighs 100 tonnes and sleeps seven, including a porter, with a small bathroom in both bed/sitting suites. Not much has changed over the years, except for a 70s-era TV set in the observation room and a microwave oven in the galley.

Paul Higgins Jr. said his father was romanced by rail travel and bought the car when it was still possible to hook up to a train for regional journeys or even cross the continent, adding it was last used for a trip to Ottawa in 2000.

When Paul Higgins Sr. died in 2004 at age 92, his sons continued to store it at the end of the siding, behind one of their plants, and have kept it in such perfect shape that Paul Higgins Jr. says “it could head out right now.”

While a few cars have survived in railway museums, Higgins said The Pacific is the last privately owned rail car in Canada, although he didn’t want to guess its current value.

It might be put back on the rails for a promotional tour to mark the 100th anniversary of Mother Parkers in 2012, and could eventually be donated to a museum, he said.

The sumptuous dining room seats eight around a table that was set with antique china, crisp linen and a silver tea service when we visited. Cabinetry is filled with royal tour memorabilia and artifacts from the early days of Mother Parkers.

Two bedroom suites have single beds and sinks, along with a second bunk that folds out from above, while the shower in the main bathroom is surprisingly large. Every inch of the car is put to good use, especially in the tiny galley.

The walls of the observation room are covered in gorgeous teak panelling, with wide windows that allow passengers to watch the world go by while sitting in an overstuffed chair and wiggling their feet in thick piled carpet.

It’s easy to imagine tycoons lighting cigars and swirling Rémy Martin in crystal snifters as the train hurtles through the grey twilight, anxiously murmuring about the war while a white-coated porter clears away coffee cups.

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